Esteleia and Fyvan
by dragonmaire
Summary: Esteleia fled her burning home. Fyvan ran away to live on his own. When they meet, will they be able to create a life for themselves in this small place along the river, with the forest behind them, and the ocean out front?
1. Before and Now

**Chapter 1: Before and Now**

Esteleia's eyes shot open as the dawn light from outside flooded the cave. The shadows it created seemed to have followed straight from her nightmares. Her fluttering heart slowly came down to a steadier beat after she figured out she was awake and not stuck in one of a long-string of endless nightmares.

The shadows of her world never left, and only the many faeries of this forest seemed able to make their colors come through her misty eyes. Born under a sky with stars and a rising sun, the air filled with mist, it seemed the sun had chased the mist into her eyes. Her aunt had been the first to tell her this rather poetic explanation, and even if it was false, it was better than the truth.

Esteleia's earliest memories were of fluttering balls of light, which her aunt had told her were the many faeries of the forest. She didn't remember her parents, for they had both died soon after she'd been born. She also remembered the smell of pine needles, and the sound of her aunt's voice reading aloud from different books. Years passed, and she grew up happy in the forest.

The shadows around her she learned to live with, mapping out the forest in her mind for a few miles around the small log cabin her aunt lived in. The small vegetable garden supplemented the wild berries and nuts they gathered as well as the occasional small bird or fish from the skies or the many streams that flowed near their home.

Her aunt continued to read from the many books she had, and Esteleia learned of the world outside the forest. She had no wish to go explore that world, content with her life in the forest with the love of her aunt and the many blessings the forest faeries seemed happy to give them.

Now, the smell of smoke seemed to stay in her fur even having crossed so many streams and being drenched by the falling rain. She had been in the forest gathering nuts for dinner, when the sound of something falling had made her turn. She had run home, fearing what could have happened, but arrived to the smell of smoke, and the crackling of the fire.

Just then, the storm that had been threatening all day finally unleashed its wrath. And she'd run, unable to think past getting away from her burned home. She'd kept running far after she'd left the boundaries of the terrain she knew, not taking care to even notice what direction she was heading. As trees appeared in front of her as tall gray shapes, she narrowly avoided them, and she had stumbled many times in and out of streams, yet she still had been unable to run from the frightful images that kept coming back to mind of the burning cabin.

Finally, exhausted she'd collapsed at a stream and let the wind and rain blow around her. A faerie had grabbed her tail and pulled her toward the cave she found herself in, now. Then it had fluttered back out into the storm, probably to enjoy the show. For her, the storm had weaved her nightmares to swirling monsters of fog, fire, and shadow.

Now, in the morning she left the cave and cautiously made her way to the stream, ignoring the sore muscles that hurt with each step. She took a long drink at the stream, lapping up the water, before dunking her head in to wake her up. The forest seemed strange here, the trees unfriendly compared to where she'd grown up. She shivered, feeling alone, abandoned, and very lost.

Her thoughts made her way to her aunt, and tears ran down her face as she tried to accept the prospect of not having anyone to take care of her. She made her way to a rock that was fairly dry and warm in the sunlight and curled up on it, trying to soak up the warmth as loneliness and grief threatened to swallow her up.

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Fyvan smiled as he watched the waves crash onto the shore. Here, he was free to do whatever he wanted, the only limit he had was to take care of himself and stay alive to enjoy life. That was becoming easier and easier as the days passed since he'd found the river coming out of the forested hills. This part of land was uninhabited, for people were afraid of going to far into the forest, saying it was enchanted. It was as if the place had been created just for him. The bountiful roots, nuts and berries came from the borders of the forest, which he was going to explore deeper today, and fish could be found easily in the river.

The forest seemed to draw him towards it. Yesterday, he'd found himself peering through the trees without really going in. His curiosity wouldn't leave him alone, but today he planned on following the stream that flowed out of it. When mid-afternoon came, he'd eat a snack and follow it downstream to the ocean where he'd started. He'd see if he could find any new berries or roots to help vary his food supply.

A week ago, Fyvan had climbed out the window of the shop his father owned, to find an adventure somewhere outside his normal life. He had carefully packed what he would need, planning over several months how to survive. In the backpack, he had brought a blanket, a detailed map that showed the forest as a blank, a knife, matches, a candle, some cereal bars, a canteen of fresh water, and a small stash of neopoints he'd been saving. He'd also brought some athelas, or kingsfoil, that had worked well against all the small cuts, bruises, and sicknesses he'd come down with over the years. His mother had either washed the wounds with it in the water, or made him swallow it as tea.

(The idea of athelas comes from Lord of the Rings. I've just messed around with it. I've got no claim to it in any way.)

He'd followed the seashore to the first stream that wasn't on the map, and started to look for food. Quickly, he'd found the berry bushes that grew scattered between the forest edge and the sand. A few nut trees he'd discovered a few feet in the forest soon after. The nearby food and water supply had made choosing it as a spot rather obvious. A few days later he'd been absent-mindedly pulling up grass as he'd made a plan about a fish trap, and chewing on the end found it tasted like one of the vegetables his mother cooked. By then, he'd dug out a small burrow at the very edge of the stream, a distance from the tide line.

He'd built a bed of grasses, and lined the floor with as many flat rocks as he could find. He'd made it himself, and as small as it was it didn't collapse when he walked on top. Fyvan was proud of his small home, even if he spent more time outside, not liking the feeling of being trapped. Only at night with a breeze coming through the entrance did he feel fine inside. The one candle had it's own uneven rock to stand on, and he kept it lit very little, only when he needed to light a fire outside.

However, the matches were running out, and he'd been wondering how to fix his fire problem. He could always build a larger fire outside, but it would have to be big enough to last the entire night. Then in the morning he'd feed it some new wood. It would also mean finding logs each day to add. That idea could work, until it rained. _'Maybe a roof over the fire could do keep the rain out?'_ He'd work on it another day.

He'd made a simple fish trap. It was a funnel pointing into a box totally made of sticks with some seaweed keeping it together. The fish swam through the funnel, without being smart enough to figure out they could go back out that way as well.

Fyvan stretched as he got up. If he didn't start now, he would have to wait till tomorrow. He walked to where he'd been drying some food out in the sun, for he didn't want to run out for some reason and not have any left. He'd been working over planning this project out… from food, to traps, to shelter; he hadn't found anything he couldn't solve yet with the information he'd gathered from several sources.

He frowned. As he'd slowly relaxing as he found less to do each day, thoughts of home had become more common. He didn't want to hurt his parents, and they had his newborn little sister as well. Maybe one day he'd go back and visit. That life just hadn't worked out and he'd done his best to reassure them in the note. He'd told exactly how he'd survive, leaving out any clue to _where_ he was. He sighed, and came back to the present. He grabbed one of his experiments; a flour of dried berries, and tasted it.

Fyvan couldn't help smiling at the nice aftertaste it left. It wouldn't get squished, even if it did make him a bit thirsty. He'd be following the river so thirst was hardly going to be a problem. He filled a small bag with it, the one he'd used for carrying the cereal bars. Then he grabbed his backpack from inside the burrow, put in some athelas, cloth, the flour, and the full canteen. He went back outside, and started towards the point where the stream exited the forest.

A light bounce was in his step, and he ran across the sand for a little ways. The beach was rather wide, ending at the trees. The trees were farther apart here, where the bushes and grass grew between them. The stream ran smoothly along its track, the bottom covered in small pebbles. Soon the grass grew a darker green, and the trees became taller, wider, and older. It turned into the mysterious forest people talked about. Mushrooms grew on fallen logs, the river bottom was lined in larger stones, and the sound of wind and waves was silenced. Instead the smell of damp earth and the sound of birds chirping as the stream continued past him, murmuring in a language as smooth as time passing.

It was a timeless world, and he felt like an intruder in its beauty. The trees continued to get older, and the stream smaller as he continued upstream, past the places where streams joined the small flowing brook. Every once in a while he'd think he saw something flash in the corner of his eyes, but when he looked at it, it disappeared as if it had never existed. The atmosphere wasn't harmful towards him, more as if he was an unwelcome guest someone would be polite to, but wouldn't welcome either.

He came across a small waterfall. The stream dropped several feet, and he had to climb some moss-covered rocks to make his way up. His stomach growled. He gave a small laugh. He felt like spinning around and splashing in the water, but something stopped him. He ended up sitting on the rocks, looking back the way he came, through trees that reached all the way to the sky. He wondered if he could climb all the way to the top of one and look out for miles of a sea of green, if he could see his home, or the beach at all. He grabbed the berry flour and dipped a paw in to eat it, then licked it off, like a small thief would lick sugar off his fingers. After he was done he lapped up some water and continued on. He'd have to turn back soon, but he started looking for food instead of admiring the forest as he'd been doing on his way there.

He glanced at the mushrooms, before making a face and shaking his head. He'd never liked mushrooms and they might end up being poisonous. He didn't like red meat either. The petpets in this forest were happy, no use ruining their little paradise.

He wondered if you could make bread out of nuts. He'd heard some idea revolving around that. He could also use some clay, if it didn't crack when he dried it. _Were you supposed to let it dry in the sun or in a fire?_

He shook his head to jerk himself back to reality. He kept being lulled in these woods. His mind started drifting each time he tried to concentrate. No wonder people stayed away from them. He scanned the area around him. The trees let in a green tinted light, and everything was turned an emerald green. Looking up the stream he spotted some footprints. He frowned. No one should be in these woods but him and the many petpets.

He quickly put the empty bag in his backpack, drank some water from the stream, and refilled his canteen. He wanted to follow those tracks and see who had made them. Talking to someone would make a nice change from talking to himself.


	2. Meeting and Learning

**Chapter 2: Meeting and Learning**

Esteleia jerked awake as something shook her. She jumped back from whatever it was, her fear written clearly on her face. She'd been curled up asleep on the rock, after crying until she had no more tears. The nightmares hadn't been as bad as they could have been, but they had been there, and the difference had been small.

She stared in the direction of where she'd been, but the only thing she could see was a gray blob against the lighter gray of the sky. _Like usual._ It had to be some kind of neopet, because petpets were larger, and nothing else could be alive except plants that didn't move.

Fyvan just blinked when the Faerie Xweetok jumped back from him. He could read her fear as easily as he could tell the sky was blue. He cocked his head to the side as she stared directly at him. Her eyes were foggy, and the light in them could hardly be seen.

'Can you see me at all?' His voice was soft and tentative. He'd scared her already. She didn't need to fear him more.

Esteleia hadn't been expecting that. The confusion chased the fear away, leaving a slight wariness behind. The neopet in front of her was a boy, but she couldn't tell much more from his voice. If she told him she couldn't see him, would he take advantage of that in some way? She didn't have much to lose. Her soft whisper could barely be heard above the rustling of the trees in the wind and the burbling brook behind them.

'Yes, but you're just a gray blob against the sky. I can't even tell what you are.'

Fyvan sighed inwardly. Maybe he could help her. The sun was setting anyway, so he'd need a place to spend the night, and she'd obviously survived in this forest longer than him. At least she didn't seem terrified anymore.

'Is there anywhere to sleep here? The sun's setting and I don't want to sleep in the open.'

Esteleia tittered. She couldn't help it. It felt good to laugh after the fear and grief of the last day and night. Her giggles became a bit louder when Fyvan stepped back. Trying to get herself under control, however hard it was, she told him, 'I spent last night in a small cave behind those bushes.' Tilting her head toward them, she added, 'Nothing in the forest will eat you. Nothing's big enough.'

Fyvan just stared as she started giggling. He backed away, causing her to giggle a bit more. A few seconds later, she answered his question, her laughter infused into the words. He looked toward the bushes. They did grow in front of a small overhang, creating a nice cave that was hidden from view.

He watched Esteleia jump off the rock they were on and head toward the cave. Her tail swished softly from side to side, as she counted out the steps to the cave. Even exhausted she had automatically remembered the number of steps from one place to another. Reaching the bushes she let her tail drift over them, until she found the place she'd used to go in and out. She slipped through them as the sun slipped under the tree line. The sudden darkness made her freeze. She had to fight back the memories and nightmares. After a few seconds she entered the cozy nest the bushes and overhang created.

Fyvan leaped off the rock and followed. The other Xweetok obviously could live without her sight. He entered after her, noticing the pause in her steps as the sun disappeared. She turned to look at him and spoke softly. 'You can sleep here for the night unless you want to go back out. I'm still tired after last night.' She paused before adding almost to herself, 'Or was it two nights ago.' Then, she went over to where the sand had obviously been slept on and curled back up.

Fyvan sighed. He took off the pack and set it along the rocky overhang. He wondered what she meant when she had said she was still tired. He piled up some sand, and curled up on it. Already semi-conscious he burrowed into it, and fell deeply asleep.

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He woke up from the muffled sound of movement over in the other Xweetok's corner. He blinked as he realized they didn't know each other's names. However, she was obviously having a nightmare. He walked over to her. Her tail thrashed back and forth in her dreams. He couldn't get close enough to wake her up, and seeing as she'd been terrified earlier that didn't seem like a good idea anyway.

He went back over to his bag, and grabbed the water bottle. The water was rather cool from the night air. He opened it only enough to let it dribble down as he shaked it. He went back over to where the thrashing girl lay asleep and shook it over her. It was enough to wake her up. He closed the cap all the way, and threw it back toward his bag. Then he took a few steps over toward her. She was obviously tryin to get herself oriented.

As her cloudy eyes looked toward his in the moonlight that streamed past the bushes, he saw the tears that ran down her face. He wondered why he hadn't noticed she was so sad before.

'What do you want me to call you?' His voice carried as much care and warmth as he could put in it. He might as well learn her name. He didn't think she'd be falling asleep again soon.

Esteleia tried to stop the tears, but they kept coming. She sat up, unsure of where she was or how come she was back. She saw the fuzzy shape near her, and she looked at him. She almost started as she heard his question, but his voice relaxed her.

'Esteleia. Means something about hope.' Her voice cracked on the word 'hope.' She didn't feel very hopeful as the shadows haunted her at the edges of her vision. She ignored them as best she could. She frowned as she realized she didn't know what or who he was. She might as well ask. 'Who are you? And what are you?'

Fyvan almost smiled at being asked what are you when being looked at directly. He hid it and just answered, 'I'm Fyvan, Island Xweetok, nice to meet you again!' He put false cheer in it, and was rewarded by a soft smile on Esteleia's face.

She seemed to be slowly relaxing again. He decided to keep talking to her in the hope she'd fall asleep again. He started to tell her about how he'd once planned to steal the cookies his mom was baking off the windowsill, and how he'd ended up having to watch birds eat them when he fell out of the tree he was eating them in. They'd fallen and broken into crumbs.

She soon fell into a deeper sleep. He curled up next to her, and let himself fall asleep as well.

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The next morning they both woke up at the same time, to find they'd curled up around each other in their sleep. Fyvan just yawned and went over to put his water bottle back into his pack. Esteleia looked perplexed as she slowly remembered the events of the night before. She felt better with a new day. She watched Fyvan putting his stuff away.

All of a sudden she realized that she'd be alone when he left. She'd never liked being alone. She didn't mind being by herself a little while, but not without the promise of someone nearby. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to ask if she could come with him.

Fyvan didn't want to leave her by herself. As independent as she seemed, he could see that she hadn't lived on her own. Someone had taken care of her, and whoever that had been had left her or died. He didn't think she'd leave that person and run away like he'd done. Finally when he found himself ready to go, and Esteleia still watching him, he turned towards her. 'Do you want to come with me?' His offer hanged in the air between them.

Esteleia's face reflected her eagerness, stopped by wariness. She wondered where he was going. He hadn't planned to spend a night in the open, because he had the canteen, but no blanket. She didn't have anything at all, but all her stuff had burned along with the house. She stopped those thoughts there. She didn't want to remember them.

Finally she nodded and walked over to him. He turned and walked out, and she followed him. 'Where are we going?' If she followed carefully behind him, she had no problems. The sun must have risen a while ago. They'd slept rather late for it to be this bright.

Fyvan looked over his shoulder at Esteleia. He had forgotten to tell her. _Whoops. _He'd need to get used to having someone around again. He'd never actually been that good with people. He always seemed to make them mad at him. Yet, Esteleia seemed to trust him enough to come with him, and she felt like a friend he'd had for years. He didn't feel out-of-place with her like he did with everyone else. He blinked as he found his thoughts drifting again.

'To the beach where the river empties out into the ocean. I created my own little place there.' Fyvan responded.

Esteleia smiled as she realized he'd run away from whatever home he'd had. He might have built himself a home, but she was sure there would be things she could help him with. She remembered making cups and plates from clay in the summertime with her aunt, or planting the garden, carefully avoiding stepping on any plants. 'Can you tell me about it?'

Fyvan blinked. There was something to do. He'd just been getting bored of looking for things to eat, when there obviously wasn't much new other than scattered berries. He had the same type of thing closer to the forest edge. He started to tell her from the point where he'd decided to create his new home along the river that came out of the forest.

**A/N: This is my first story ever... it's going to be super short.**


	3. Living Together

**Chapter 3: Living Together**

Esteleia was hungry when she first started smelling the salty air. The forest has slowly been getting brighter. However, Fyvan had explained he hadn't thought he'd ever eat anything more than lunch in the forest. They were both surprised at how long it seemed to take get to the beach. Now however, it was easy to tell they were close. She could here the faint roaring, which she guessed were the waves Fyvan enjoyed telling her about.

Fyvan had described everything about the place he'd found, and she'd made suggestions for how to keep a fire going, a garden, and clay. Fyvan was surprised at how much she knew on some things, and yet how she seemed to know nothing about others. He could see that even if he hadn't found any new food, he'd found something infinitely better.

While neither had talked about their past, they had learned a lot about each other. Esteleia had been shocked when he told her he didn't like books, but that small fight had lasted a few seconds. She had burst out laughing, wondering aloud why they fought over something they obviously didn't have. Fyvan had joined her laughter, and they'd laughed for almost a minute before managing to calm down.

Now, he could see the sand in front of him. He smiled and ran towards it, totally forgetting Esteleia wouldn't be able to follow him. When he reached the sand, and turned to talk to her, he saw her where he'd started running, searching for him.

Esteleia walked carefully forward. She guessed he'd run ahead, but she didn't like having been left behind like that. Sometimes she found him a bit annoying. Already she could see his now familiar outline coming back towards her.

She stepped towards it, and heard the quick sorry. Then he led her out into the open area of sand. She could hear the river flowing somewhere on her left as she breathed in the sea air blown from the ocean breeze. It relaxed her, and left her energized at the same time. While the forest air seemed to calm and distract you, here it focused you. She tasted salt as she slowly breathed in the air. Fyvan was next to her, staring out at whatever was ahead. She couldn't tell where the ocean began and land ended, but she'd figure it out.

She stared at the sun, the only thing that had a clear outline. It was already low in the sky, but maybe there was time to look around near the burrow Fyvan had told her about.

She turned towards him. 'Is there time to show me the burrow and the river, and the stuff around there?'

Fyvan thought about what he'd have to show her. He'd need to lead her everywhere at least once to make sure she didn't drown herself because she didn't know where the river was. He'd forgotten to tell her everyone in a while that there was something to step over, and she'd tripped. Overall, she seemed capable of finding her way around a place she'd already been to.

There was enough time to at least show her the burrow where they slept and where he sometimes kept the fire burning later into the night. 'I can start to show you, so that you don't drown!' He teased her.

Esteleia just smiled, and ran towards the river. The sand was blown flat by the wind, but she slowed enough to let Fyvan pass her, watching carefully where he went. She was memorizing each step as she ran. Soon they were back at the river. It had split in two, and they'd found a log to cross just a little earlier. Fyvan had known the way to the beach, so they hadn't gone back to the river. Instead they had gone straight out to the beach.

Fyvan splashed her, and she just walked toward where his laughter was. When her paws reached the waters edge she stepped out, her tail swishing along the bottom to help her find any rocks along the bottom. Her careful steps led her to map out a square of the stream. Now, she looked back up to where Fyvan stood watching her, probably wondering what she was doing, and splashed him.

Fyvan watched Esteleia make her way in a swirl. She started along the edges, circling toward the middle of the river. When she reached the middle she looked up to where he was watching her. A smile appeared on her face, and her tail came out, soaking him with water. He just splashed her back, and very soon a full-blown splash fight broke out. They kept at it, both carefully staying in the area Esteleia had mapped out in her head.

Finally, he stepped out of the water and shook himself, spraying water droplets all around him. His fur stood up at odd angles, and he was soaked, but he'd had too much fun to care. Esteleia followed him up to the bank, smiling.

Fyvan glanced at her, before walking toward the burrow he'd dug. It was small, but comfortable enough for him. He hoped she didn't mind the size. It had taken plenty of work to make it this big; he didn't want to work on it when they had other things to do.

Esteleia soon caught up to him, looking much like what he had to look like. She stayed a bit behind him, yet more to his side. He led her to the burrow and stopped outside. He lifted a paw and pointed out the fire pit he'd made. 'The fire's over there. I haven't figured out how to keep it going through a rainstorm like the one from two nights ago.'

Esteleia nodded. 'You can't. You just have to start it back up each time. Do you have a candle and matches?'

Fyvan started. 'Of course, I'm not stupid!'

Esteleia just snorted. 'Are you sure about that? Let's go inside. Tell me if I'm about to run into anything.' She walked toward where he sat, feeling the cooler air that came out of the burrow he'd dug into a part of the river bank, where the sand formed a hill along the river. The stones leading up to the entrance made it even easier to find. She stepped inside, her tail brushing the thicker branches he'd used to help support along the walls. She felt more comfortable in the forest, but this was close. Lifting up her tail, she could feel the top of the tunnel, leading father in and down. A roof of leafy branches was above. It kept the sand from falling, even though it was more of a clay-like soil down here. It probably was what had made it possible for Fyvan to carve out his home without it crashing. She hear his footsteps behind her.

'Didn't you say you needed clay? You're surrounded by it.'

Fyvan froze. He felt the walls again. They were dry where they had been moist when he dug them out. He hadn't noticed before. _How stupid was that?_ Well, that simplified the prospect of making cups and plates and bowls and jars and all the other things he could use. Not to mention it made him feel better in his burrow. He was always slightly afraid of being trapped in it. Xweetoks were instinctively good diggers, yet he had some weird fear of being trapped. It might have had something to do with being stuck in the cellar a few hours, or it might not.

'That's nice.' His tone of voice was uninterested. Esteleia just laughed at him. She could hear the slight curiosity in his tone.

After a few more moments she felt the tunnel widen into a dingle room. Fyvan walked past her. He put his tail of her shoulder to guide her. First he walked over to where he'd piled a bit of sand to make a bed with the blanket on top. He let her map it out. He'd explained what it looked like earlier; he just needed to guide her around it. He showed her where the shelves holding some of the berried and nuts he'd gathered were, and where the rock for the candle was.

Esteleia took it all in. Now she had a map of the river area, and the burrow and the distances around that. She yawned.

'Is now a good time to fall asleep?' She asked aloud.

Fyvan just went over to where his bed was. In this burrow he was almost as blind as she was. He was tired from last night.

'We'll just have to share the blanket.'

'As long as I can lay down and sleep'

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Fyvan was the first one awake. He shot a look at Esteleia, but she was still sleeping peacefully. She'd told him she could make things out of clay, and that you let it dry in the sun a bit, before putting them in the fire to finish. Then you could either fill in the cracks with more clay, or leave them. He went outside and looked at the non-existent fire. He might as well rebuild it for breakfast.

He went over to his fish trap and checked for fish. A few were swimming around. He let three of them out, and left the other two in. He ran down the river toward the forest, just because he could. When he got to the forest, he found the firewood he needed. He grabbed a few smaller sticks. Picking up the entire bundle, he used his tail to help keep it on his back. Walking back to the fire pit, he dropped his load.

He stacked up the sticks around the large logs that were already there. The smaller stick went in three different piles around the fire pit. He went back in to light the candle and bring it outside. He carefully lit the piles of sticks, until they were burning well.

Then he went back to the trap, killed two of the fish and just stuck a stick into their mouths and out somewhere near their tails. The stick he laid across the two Y-shaped ones he'd had to look fir a long time before he'd finally found the right ones. It worked well enough. He cooked one side, and then the other, and you had fresh fish for a meal. He just cut off the edible sections, leaving the rest to drift down the river. He didn't gut the fish, or remove the scales. That you could wait until you were eating them.

He frowned as he realized he'd have to share his knife. He'd only brought one. He went back inside and grabbed the map. He could maybe get some supplies at a small town he'd passed when he'd made his way here. He still had all his neopoints. They'd need an extra blanket, knife, and some seeds. Esteleia has said she could plant a garden if she had some. He should have just enough for that.

He didn't realize Esteleia was awake until he looked up to see her shaping a glob of clay into a small pot. Soon it was a very simple cup, but it was smooth and useful. The seed of an idea came into his head. Was it possible to sell what she made out of clay for cloth and other things they might end up needing? How much could they get for each small thing?

He watched her walk over to where he'd laid some stones around the fire, and place the cup on one of the flatter river stones. He went over next to her, and flipped the fish over to cook the other side.

'I think I could go to a nearby village and get some stuff we might need.' His suggestion made her think.

'How do we get neopoints?' It was the first thing she thought of. They could use some things, but they both wanted to stay hidden. Fyvan had made a place where he could survive alone. She didn't want to have to force him to make himself known.

'I've got some, and you could probably sell those, if you make them like that.' He pointed at the clay cup that was slowly drying out.

'That would work.' Esteleia smiled at the thought that she could help. As much as she probably needed someone taking care of her, she didn't like being a burden either.

Fyvan looked at the fish. 'I'll go grab some berries and we can eat breakfast. Having one knife may be just a bit troublesome for now. I'll go see about the village thing today. There's not actually much I have to do here, but keep the fire going, anyway.'

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Eating took all of their attention as they finished the fish. Fyvan took care to give Esteleia the pieces with the least bones, since she couldn't see them before eating them. She was done a little before her, and went to check her cup. She picked up the cup. It was almost dry.

She looked up when Fyvan walked over. 'I could stay here and make us some bowls and stuff, while you bring us back some extra stuff.'

Fyvan nodded, and walked over to where the map was. 'The nearest place is probably around three hours walk away. I could go there and be back between lunch and dinner. For now, let's go show you the ocean.'

'What about the waves? I can't see them!' Esteleia exclaimed a little frightened.

'You don't have to go deep, just where the water laps up. It's rather cold anyway. The stream's a lot warmer.' Fyvan started to walk along the river, Esteleia following rather reluctantly.

Fyvan sped up, as they got closer to the water. Esteleia almost slowed down. She didn't want to fear it, so she just wouldn't go into the water. When Fyvan's footsteps turned into splashes she stopped, and sat down in the sand, watching his fuzzy shape jump around in the water. He soon came back up to shore, soaked. He looked around and quickly found a seashell that had a hole through it. It would make a good present as a necklace. He picked it up and held on to it.

'Let's go see the berries. We need to figure out where to plant a garden if we're going to have one. I need to stop by the tunnel to grab my bag.' _And to hide this shell._

They headed back the way they came, Esteleia in front. She very happily managed to find her way back to the exact spot they'd started out at. She waited for Fyvan outside, and when he came out he led her to the berry bushes. She walked around, carefully sticking her paws out and down. She slowly made her way in a spiral going farther out each time. Next time she came, she would figure out a bit more. For now, she went to various bushes, picking a berry, squishing and sniffing it and eating it she found on she knew she liked. Fyvan was the one collecting them for later.

'Can you make flour out of nuts? We could have pancakes.' Esteleia almost jumped at the seemingly random question that interrupted the comfortable silence that had settled around them.

'I think so… we could try. I'm not sure how it would turn out. Let's get some nuts to try it out for lunch. We can use a stone bowl and put in water and nut flour. We just have to moisten it, because it can't be runny. Then we'd have to pour it onto a rock in the middle of the fire—'

'The fire might burn out! I don't have enough matches to keep lighting it back up!'

Esteleia actually jumped at the interruption. 'Those logs were large enough to keep burning as long as it doesn't rain. After a storm like the one a few days ago, I doubt it's going to happen.'

Fyvan relaxed. 'Let's go find some nuts and try your idea. I'll add some more wood to the fire, and then head to town.'

Esteleia just nodded. He led her to a tree he'd found was easy to climb. He jumped up into the branches. He had always loved climbing trees.

Esteleia stayed on the ground. She wasn't about to leave it to climb up a tree that she could barely see. Fyvan came down soon after, with plenty of almonds to crush into flour.

They headed back, teasing each other.


	4. Siblings

**Chapter 4: Siblings**

When they got there, Fyvan found a rock with a depression and another one to crush the nuts. He poured out half the almonds into the bowl. Esteleia grabbed the stone, and started crushing.

Fyvan left to add the berries into his piles. Having bowls would be very helpful. His eyes seemed to slowly adjust to the light inside the tunnel. He walked inside to his piles. He looked at the piles along the shelves. Finally he just sighed, he didn't think they'd last long inside this cave. He needed to add air vents or something. He remembered the place they'd slept in at the forest. He'd liked it a lot better than this quick set-up. _I'll just have to build something better._ _The clay could be used to make walls. _

He grabbed some of the older berries, already drying out. He brought them outside and dumped a few into the crushed nuts Esteleia was making.

'What are you doing?' She asked him.

'Adding some berries.' He answered.

'This should be interesting.' Her wry tone made him smile. He wondered exactly how this would turn out. The nuts were already in small bits, Esteleia was doing a good job of crushing all of them.

He walked over to the fire, and found it was burning low. He went to the river and looked upstream for a rock that would work. He wanted it flat so that they could stick it halfway in and halfway out of their fire. He found a thin one, and picked it up, curling his tail around it square-ish shape. He brought it over to the fire, and dropped it flat on the side where the fire had burned a little while ago. The ashes still sort of glowed, giving away their heat.

Esteleia got up from her spot.

'I don't think we need water; the berries worked to moistion it enough. Now it's just sticky. It tastes okay though.'

'You're not supposed to eat it!'

'Why not? I made it, and there's plenty for both of us.'

'Whatever. We'll just put it on the rock I set in the ashes. It should be hot by now. The fire was still burning around it. Then we'll wait for it to bake.'

'I think we could probably use the bowl to help us bring it over.' Esteleia went and picked up the bowl, exactly where she remembered leaving it. She grabbed it and brought it to where she'd been crushing the nuts and berries. The mix had the same consistency as dough. She filled the bowl and brought it to the fire. She handed it to Fyvan, not about to stick her paws into a fire she could only feel and smell. She shook her head to push back the memories of fear and tears. If she didn't think about it she was fine.

Fyvan took it from her, and let it pour out onto the rock. It started sizzling when it touched it. He watched it turn brown on the bottom, and bubbles rise to the surface of the flat pancake. He frowned as he noticed only the bottom cooking.

'We need something to flip it over.' He thought aloud.

'Flip them over using your knife,' Esteleia voiced her idea. 'You might need to cut it into smaller pieces to flip it over right.'

Fyvan got up and hurried to where they had left the knife. He grabbed it and brought it back. Then he cut the pancake into two halves. He slipped the knife under one, trying hard not to break it. It was sticking to the rock in places, but as soon as he managed to be able to slide the knife around underneath, he flipped it over onto its other side. It did a somersault and ended up looking like a small hill, the already cooked part on the outside.

'I think I managed to make a cake of nuts and berries with a filling of nuts and berries.'

Esteleia smiled next to him. 'Now you just have to do the other one!'

'Yay…' Fyvan said dryly as he worked on the other one. His paw touched the rock, and he flinched away, dropping the knife.

'Whoops…' He picked it back up where it had fallen, the handle poking a bit off the rock. The leather handle had turned black, even if the blade was just hot. He sighed, for it had been his favorite thing that he'd brought. It had been a birthday present of few years ago, which was serving them well now. It was still usable, if not as pretty any more. He finished flipping the other one, and it turned out a lot like the first one.

He waited a little while again, and hoping they were cooked enough, grabbed the bowl and his knife. He pushed one of them into the bowl, and then the other. They both kept their shape.

'Who's sacrificing themselves?' He asked.

Esteleia reached over to where she thought he was. She felt the weirdly shaped something being pressed into her hand. She took a bite. It tasted… interesting. It was different than plain nuts or berried, or even the mix she'd tasted. It didn't taste too bad either.

'It's interesting, but definitely edible.'

Fyvan just chuckled and grabbed the other one. In the middle of each, was the unbaked dough, but it was like an added filling. All together, it made a good meal for both of them to eat.

When they finished, Fyvan got up to prepare what he'd bring into town. He put his canteen, the shell he'd found earlier, the map, and the neopoints in his backpack. He was listing aloud what they could use, Esteleia contributing some. He thought about what they would need and what they could use. _In the need list, seeds, an extra blanket, a knife. In the want list, string, more blankets, a candle, books. Why did she ever want books? They could probably use matches, and Esteleia had suggested getting a magnifying glass to start fires with on sunny days._

He looked over to where she had sat down, after retrieving some more clay. She was in the middle of making something that looked a lot like a plate. She had it on a rock, and was using the knife to slip under it every once in a while. He wondered how she managed so well without being able to see.

'I'll be gone, most likely till dinner. You can take some berries for a snack. See you later!'

Esteleia just nodded absentmindedly. He shook his head and started walking in the direction of the next town, having practically memorized the map already. He'd circle it to make it seem like he was coming from the other direction. He wouldn't give away where he'd settled.

Walking was mindless, and his mind started drifting. He didn't have anything important to think of, and this area was safe to him. Esteleia had said the forest wasn't dangerous unless you started burning it down. Then it could get 'unfriendly.' He wondered what that could mean. His thoughts wandered thinking about anything and nothing.

Soon he could see the village in the distance. He headed into the forest, coming out again on the other side of the small village. The houses were made of wood, sturdy and cozy. Several shops clustered around the center, the houses surrounding a small field of grass and flowers. Within the field were Babaas, grazing or napping. Behind each house was a garden. Each family would grow their own food and wool for clothes. Trading extra away for other things they might need.

Fyvan walked into town, a bit tired. He went toward the shops. The other people in the town ignored him for the most part. They noted he was a stranger, and didn't care much past that. In one shop he found some clay bowls, not much better than what Esteleia had made that morning. He also found some string. He bought some, saying just what was necessary for being polite. He never liked talking, preferring to stay silent instead.

Going into the next shop he bought a blanket, knife, and candle from the Techo shopkeeper. This hop seemed to have everything they could need except the seeds. He was almost out of neopoints by now. He wondered if he'd have enough for the seeds, or if they would have to wait and sell some clay bowls instead. He could probably sell them to the potter for neopoints.

He skipped one shop that sold furniture, and went into the one that sold plants. Inside he found a kind-looking Shoyru. She looked up from watering the plants when he came in. Then she walked over and asked him what he could need.

'I'd like some vegetable seeds, and a can to water them with. I'm not sure I'll have enough neopoints for it all though.'

'That's all right. You want to start a garden. I've got plenty of extra seeds.' She went through a doorway, leaving Fyvan behind. He watched her, surprised at how much like his own mother she seemed. Energized and caring.

She came back in holding a small bag packed with paper packets. 'I always love to see people start a garden. Don't worry about paying for them. I only sell the actual plants. Everyone here already has what they could ever need of these plants anyway. There's tomatoes, potatoes, cucumber, lettuce, carrots, green beans, a can with holes poked in the cap you can use to water them, and instructions on how to take care of them.' She paused, handed Fyvan the bag, who started to put it in hi bag, before turning back through the doorway.

As Fyvan finished sticking it in his bag, she came back with a shovel and rake, miniature ones. 'Do you think these would fit in there too? You could probably use them.' As she spook she leaned over his bag, there was still a small amount of room. She frowned. 'You need to organize this better, dear.'

Fyvan just blinked. He'd barely spoken a word since she came back with the seeds. She interrupted his thoughts by taking out everything he'd put in. Then she took the bag from him, turned back to her back room, coming out with a slightly bigger one. Then she put the blanket at the bottom, put the map along one side, standing upright, and the canteen on the other side. The shell necklace she laid on top of the blanket. The candle went on top too. She also put the rake and the shovel and laid those there. Then she opened the bag where she'd packed the seeds. She took them out, opened the can and stuffed seeds and the instructions in it. She put the can back in the bag with a few packets of seeds that didn't fit. The bag of neopoints she just dropped in a smaller pocket on the outside. After putting that back on, with Fyvan still staring in surprise, she closed it and handed it back.

'There you go, nice an organized for you. Make sure you don't kill whatever plants you manage to grow!'

Fyvan just nodded, settled the pack on his back, and walked out of town, forgetting that he was supposed to circle around in his stunned thoughts. Finally shaking his head, he smiled. Then he remembered he'd forgotten to say thank-you. _Oh well, I'll just have to do it next time. _He was sure to go back to the kind Shoyru one day.

When he got back to where they lived he dropped the backpack. Esteleia seemed to be sleeping restlessly. A few cups and plates were lined up around the fire, showing what she' done all afternoon. Two cups of five had cracks in them, and the three plates looked fine. He went over and found that the cups were dry. He took them away from the fire, laying them out just outside the entrance to his home. Only one of the plates was dry, probably the first one she'd been making. He put that one with the plates before walking over to where Esteleia seemed to be having a nightmare.

He frowned. Sticking some sticks into the fire to get it burning again, he took the can out of the backpack. He dumped out the seed packets into the sand leaving them near the backpack. Filling it with river water, he used some string to tie it up to the stick that was still over the fire from where they had cooked the fish. He put in some athelas, letting the water boil. The sweet smelling herbs smelled of whatever relaxed the person most. In Esteleia's case they let out a smell of pine forests. It calmed he down some.

He woke her up, calling her name. Her wings fluttered slightly as she woke up. He hadn't seen her use them at all. Maybe she just ignored them. They were pretty though.

'Where am I?' Her voice was groggy and she sounded half asleep.

'With me, on the beach. Care to talk about what's giving you the nightmares?' He asked her, keeping his curiosity out of his voice. He saw her freeze.

Esteleia had been trying to forget the memories. Unbidden her aunt's voice echoed in her mind. _'It's better to talk then try and forget.' _Maybe she should tell him. She inhaled deeply, noticing how it smelled the pine trees outside the cabin. She sat up, her tail curled around her paws.

'It happened a the night before the day you found me.' She told him how she'd found the cabin burning, how she believed her aunt had died form the smoke, how she'd ran even as the storm raged around her, finally laying exhausted by the stream, until a faerie had showed her the place they'd slept in together.

By the end, Fyvan had come up and let his tail curl around her. Her tears fell softly into the sand. He wished he knew something to make her feel better. Searching around the clearing his eyes fell on his backpack. _The shell on the string._ He could give her a necklace. He got up and went over to his bag. Reaching in he grabbed the necklace.

He went back to Esteleia.

'I've got a present for you, little sister.' That got her to look up. 'Close you eyes.'

She closed them, wondering what he wanted. He felt him slip something around her neck. She lifted a paw to feel it, finding the coolness of a shell underneath her paw.

'Thank you, brother.' Her voice was a little hoarse, but Fyvan could tell she'd be all right. They could find a way to live together. This place had almost been meant for them.

**A/N: Now we just have to wait for an epilogue, and my super short story will be finished.**


	5. Epilogue

**Chapter 5: Epilogue**

Fyvan smiled at the small house they'd built out of clay bricks. It was built halfway in and halfway out of the riverbank. They'd worked on it all summer. Now the trees in the forest were turning gold, and only the pines further in stayed emerald green. Since meeting each other in the spring, Esteleia had changed, and so had he. Maybe soon they would take a trip back to his family.

Esteleia was in her garden, collecting fresh tomatoes and strawberries. He went down to the fish trap, a new one, create to replace the broken old one. It was a funnel that poked into a box, but the box of branches was sturdy, held together by wire. Only one fish was in it, and he smiled. They had planned a feast for having finished their house.

They'd started building it as spring changed into summer. They had visited town and sold Esteleia's clay items to the potter. They now had everything they needed. They weren't as independent, but they could survive on their own quite happily along this shore. Esteleia had decided they should name their river Hope, and add it to the map. He'd done it to make her happy.

Walking back to their house with the fish, he stopped outside, looking at the clay that kept in the warmth of the day at night, or kept it cool on hot days. Shells had sporadically been pressed into drying clay. The doorway and window were open, with only longs braids of dried seaweed hanging down in front of them.

He walked inside, looking up at the hole that let the smoke go through. It was criss-crossed with twigs, making it possible to cover it up of they ever needed to. Inside, the floor was made up of flat river stones, the edges filled in with clay.

On one side, the farthest from the door, they had brought in bags full of sand, and added moss and grass. They also had blankets, lots of them, to make a warm nest to sleep in.

Under one of the windows was a bookshelf, another pile of sand, and a few more blankets. The light from the window made it a good place to read, and he'd added an extra candle on the bookshelf. Esteleia would still wake up from a nightmare everyone in a while. He'd read aloud, sometimes from things he didn't understand, even if she obviously did.

Across their single room lay a kitchen, or something like a kitchen. He'd made a shelf out of clay bricks. On it was laid bowls of flour made from nuts, or sometimes wheat. They also kept a small supply of berries, and other vegetables they had managed to grow. They had made a pile of the bricks to make a counter. They had made a bowl out of the bricks, smoothing it with clay. It could be used for several things. Lately they used it mostly for pounding the nuts into flour. They also used it to do dishes every once in a while. Next to it was another bowl, but they hadn't bothered to smooth this one out. In it lay sticks and branches and kindling, ready to be lit from the bigger fire in the middle of the room. Around the bowl was a bit of clay, added along the border. The small fire could be used to bake the nut cakes, or cook other things they came up with.

He smiled at memories of the many recipes they'd created. They'd made a stew of berries and fish that hadn't turned out good. But fish and mashed potatoes had been tasty. With almost every meal they had the nut cakes. Fyvan was the cook, and Esteleia the one with the ideas.

Together they had planned their own little feast tonight. Esteleia came in, wearing the necklace he'd given her all of three months ago. They had done a lot since then. Now, they just had some daily chores to do. Then they could enjoy themselves. Esteleia loved to try and make statues of clay of things he brought her. He still didn't know how she managed to do it, but they ended up an exact copy of whatever he brought.

He was happy here, even if he thought he'd seen faeries around every once in a while. He didn't think that was possible, none of the small faeries living in the forest ever came out. Oh well, he'd ask Esteleia about it… she was a Faerie Xweetok wasn't she!

**_The End_**

**_Hope you liked it. If I adopt Fyvan, I might end up writing more. Please review!_**


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